Mummies, Marina Abramovic and the 9/11 Memorial Museum – the week in art

Exhibition of the week

Ancient LivesThis fascinating exhibition is centred on eight mummies from the museum's collection that were taken to hospital to undergo CT scans. The results are displayed as interactive videos that gradually reveal the mummies' interiors. Fragile treasures that are not usually on display, including an ancient Egyptian wig, heighten the intimate encounter with the people inside the bandages.• British Museum, London WC1B, 22 May until 30 November.

Mammoths: Ice Age GiantsSome of the first paintings were portraits of mammoths. This homage to these extinct marvels includes a superbly preserved mammoth from Siberia and is a chance to look at the world that the cave painters saw.• Natural History Museum, London SW7, 23 May until 7 September.

Kenneth ClarkThe man who wrote and presented Civilisation was one the most provocative and engaging British thinkers on art. This ought to be a stimulating revelation of his insights.• Tate Britain, London SW1P, 20 May until 10 August.

The Wonder of BirdsArtists have been entranced by birds since ancient Egyptian times and this ambitious exhibition includes beautiful works by Holbein, Mantegna and Audubon.• Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery, NR1, 24 May until 14 September.

Masterpiece of the week

Salvator Rosa – Witches at Their Incantations (c 1646)It is important to remember that women were being killed for the impossible crime of witchcraft when Salvator Rosa painted this spooky scene. It is not just a piece of horror fiction, but shows the kind of midnight ritual witches were actually believed to practice. For us, it is all a macabre thrill.• National Gallery, London WC2N

Image of the week

The saviour of performance art Marina Abramovic in Brooklyn last month. Photograph: Mike McGregor for the Guardian

What we learned this week

That Marina Abramovic will perform her most radical artwork ever in London in June – and her thoughts on lipstick, masochism … and why she's too much for any man

The Abramovic method for mindfulness … from counting grains of rice to taking hours to sign your name

That Mike Leigh's Mr Turner film looks like a smash hit

Blood, semen and tears: why artists are obsessed with using their bodily fluids

That Belarus has bizarre state-sponsored contests ... from Best J-Lo Lookalike to Best Milkmaid and Best Couple in Love

That the 9/11 Memorial Museum is open, and that it's turned salvaged items including a crushed fire engine into art objects

That 12 artists are answering back to climate change in beautiful ways

That Bauhaus is back

What the top 10 monsters in art are, from mummies on the run to crawling cannibals

Why ivory is still the elephant in the art gallery

Whether art adheres to Darwinian law

Why one artist brought her uncle back to life as a woman

That musclemen, leopard print and shower caps sum up Coney Island in the 60s

That the Rothko vandalised 18 months ago is back on show at last – but Tate should show it more respect

That Vladimir Umanets regrets vandalising said Rothko – but is still committed to Yellowism

And finally ...

Send us your foodie snaps this week and you could be photographed by Martin Parr this summer!